National Organic Month Reflections: Abby Youngblood on What Keeps Her Going

As the Executive Director of the National Organic Coalition for the past 11 years, Abby Youngblood is marking Organic Month by reflecting on what brought her to this work and what keeps her energized.

Abby Youngblood, NOC Executive Director, setting up the CSA distribution at Brookfield Farm, where she apprenticed before starting a farm business with co-farmer Nancy Grove in upstate New York.

Early in my career, I worked on farms and eventually co-founded a small diversified vegetable farm in upstate New York. Those experiences taught me firsthand how hard it is to make a living from farming—and how little support there often is for farmers who are trying to do things differently: care for the soil, protect people and the environment, treat workers and animals well, and build a viable business at the same time.

That experience still grounds me today. What keeps me energized in my work with the National Organic Coalition is the opportunity to help create the conditions for those farmers—and the businesses that depend on them—to thrive.

Sometimes that means something very tangible, like making sure farmers can get reimbursed for part of the cost of organic certification. Sometimes it means working to make federal conservation, research, and other agricultural programs actually work for organic producers. And sometimes it means defending strong organic standards and enforcement so that farms and businesses doing the right thing aren’t undercut by fraud or weaker rules. NOC’s work is ultimately about creating a fair marketplace and helping organic farms and businesses succeed. 

I’m also continually energized by the people I get to do this work with. NOC brings together farmers, grassroots organizations, food co-ops, environmental and consumer groups, and organic businesses with different perspectives and areas of expertise, but a shared commitment to moving organic forward. What I find most inspiring is the richness of this coalition—the different perspectives and experiences our members bring, and the opportunity to work alongside both people who helped build the organic movement and a new generation of leaders who are carrying it forward.

This Organic Month, I’m grateful to be part of a movement working toward something bigger: a thriving, ecological food system rooted in health, stewardship, and justice.